Under the new rules couples would be penalised for having a third child

The authorities in Vietnam plan to enforce a two-child policy in an attempt to control population growth.

They say it is needed to avoid putting a strain on public services in the country of 86 million people.

A similar policy was introduced in the 1960s, but it was relaxed in 2003 to encourage small families without making it illegal to have a third child.

Critics of the government plan have warned that a younger population is essential to Vietnam’s development.

Government statistics show that in the first nine months of this year, 93,000 babies were born to couples who already had two or more children.

If there is not [a sufficient] labour force as the population is aging, the country will face a lot of problems

Tran Thi Van
UNFPA Spokeswoman

Under current rules, married couples have largely been at liberty to chose how many children they want and when to have them.

But according to the deputy head of Vietnam’s General Office for Population and Family Planning, Duong Quoc Trong, these rules have been “so general that people haven’t understood it and have sometimes taken advantage of it”.